The ThinkPad x201 is a great platform for Ubuntu 10.04. The default installation contains an outdated version of the Thinkpad BGN wireless drivers. After first boot you can see networks(not all available), and connect to some – but in general this will give you difficulties. The recommendation is to first update your installation via-Ethernet to automatically download the patch. Upon restart, you will have a fully functional Ubuntu installation.
This is where and how it was solved:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/linux/+bug/567016